How the Emotional Health Index is calculated

The Emotional Health Index (EHI) converts each answer into a 0–100 sub-score, then combines them with weights. The weights are chosen to reflect a practical reality: when sleep, stress, and anxiety are out of balance, most people’s emotional health feels harder — even if other parts of life are going well.

Each dropdown option already maps to a number (0, 25, 50, 75, 100). Higher values represent a more supportive state. For example, “Poor sleep” maps to 0, while “Great sleep” maps to 100. Likewise, “Very frequent anxiety” maps to 0, while “Rare anxiety” maps to 100.

The calculator uses this weight set (all weights add up to 100%):

• Stress load: 16%
• Sleep quality: 14%
• Mood stability: 12%
• Social connection: 12%
• Energy & motivation: 10%
• Anxiety / worry: 14%
• Self-kindness: 8%
• Sense of purpose: 8%
• Coping tools: 6%

The weighted average is computed like this: EHI = Σ(subScore × weight) / 100. The result is rounded to the nearest whole number to create a clean 0–100 index.

A simple average treats every factor as equally important. In real life, that’s rarely true. When sleep is very poor, it can amplify stress and anxiety; when stress is high, even strong purpose can feel less accessible. Weighting makes the index feel more “true to experience” without pretending to be clinical science.

How to read your score (0–100)

Your score is a snapshot, not a label. Use it like a dashboard — a quick number that tells you whether you’re recovering, steady, or running on fumes.

• 0–24 (Struggling): your system is overloaded. Focus on safety, support, and basics first.
• 25–44 (Low): you’re functioning, but it costs too much energy. Reduce load and rebuild routines.
• 45–64 (Okay / variable): you’re mostly okay with some friction. Improve one lever to climb steadily.
• 65–79 (Good): you’re emotionally stable most days. Protect sleep and connection to maintain it.
• 80–100 (Thriving): strong wellbeing foundations. Keep what works and watch for early stress signals.

If you want a higher score next week, don’t try to fix everything. Pick one lever: sleep, stress, or connection usually creates the fastest improvement. The best lever is the one that’s both low and easy to influence this week.

Example scores (so you can sanity-check your result)

Below are realistic example profiles. Your score won’t match these exactly, but they help you understand how the index behaves. Notice that the index rewards stability and recovery (sleep + coping) and drops when stress + anxiety are consistently high.

Stress = 50, Sleep = 50, Mood = 75, Connection = 75, Energy = 50, Anxiety = 50, Self-kindness = 75, Purpose = 75, Coping = 75. This person has a full plate but decent support and regulation. Their EHI usually lands in the 60s.

Stress = 0, Sleep = 25, Mood = 25, Connection = 50, Energy = 25, Anxiety = 25, Self-kindness = 25, Purpose = 50, Coping = 25. Even with some purpose, the recovery signals are low. Their EHI often lands in the 20s–30s. The fastest move: improve sleep by one step (25 → 50) and add one coping tool.

Stress = 75, Sleep = 75, Mood = 75, Connection = 75, Energy = 75, Anxiety = 75, Self-kindness = 75, Purpose = 100, Coping = 75. This is strong across the board. Their EHI typically lands in the mid-to-high 70s and can touch the 80s.

Stress = 50, Sleep = 75, Mood = 50, Connection = 75, Energy = 50, Anxiety = 0, Self-kindness = 50, Purpose = 75, Coping = 50. Anxiety is heavily weighted, so it pulls the index down. Their EHI might land in the 50s. Best lever: anxiety support tools (breathing routine, cognitive reframes, therapy, medication if appropriate).

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is this a mental health diagnosis?

  No. The Emotional Health Index is a self-reflection tool for tracking how you’re doing. It does not diagnose depression, anxiety disorders, or any condition. If you’re concerned about your mental health, talk with a qualified professional.

• How often should I take it?

  Weekly is ideal for most people. Daily scores can bounce around based on one rough day. Weekly scores show trends without overreacting to normal mood changes.

• Why do stress and anxiety matter so much in the score?

  Because they often act like multipliers. High stress + high anxiety can reduce sleep quality, focus, patience, and energy. The weights reflect this “spillover” effect.

• My score is low. What’s the fastest improvement?

  Pick one lever you can actually change this week. The most common high-impact levers are: sleep regularity, reducing one obligation, and increasing support (a conversation with a trusted person, a therapy session, or a support group).

• Can I share my result publicly?

  Absolutely — but remember: your score is personal. If sharing helps you feel supported, go for it. If it creates pressure or comparison, keep it private and use it as a tracking tool.

• Does saving store my answers online?

  No. “Save Result” stores a small record in your browser’s local storage on this device only. It won’t sync across devices unless you manually copy it.

Use this index like a dashboard (not a verdict)

Think of your emotional health like a phone battery plus a weather report. Some weeks you’re charged and the weather is calm. Other weeks you’re low-battery and caught in a storm. The Emotional Health Index helps you name what’s happening with a single number, and then it points toward the most impactful “next move.”

Here’s a practical way to use it:

• Step A: Take the check-in and save the result.
• Step B: Identify the lowest 1–2 sub-scores (stress, sleep, anxiety, etc.).
• Step C: Choose one action that improves one sub-score by one step (e.g., sleep 25 → 50).
• Step D: Re-check next week. If your score rises, keep the habit. If it stays low, change the lever.

Over time, your saved history becomes a simple trend line: am I improving, plateauing, or slipping? That’s far more useful than any single number.

• Sleep is lowest: fixed wake time, less late caffeine, 10-minute wind-down routine.
• Stress is lowest: remove one non-essential task, add one boundary, schedule recovery time.
• Anxiety is lowest: breathing practice, worry-list + plan, professional support if persistent.
• Connection is lowest: one honest message, one walk with someone, join a recurring group.
• Coping is lowest: choose 2 tools you’ll actually use (music, journaling, movement, meditation, therapy).

If you are experiencing thoughts of self-harm or feel unsafe, seek immediate help from local emergency services or a crisis hotline.

What each question is really capturing

The nine check-ins are intentionally simple, but each one points to a deeper “system” that affects emotional health. If you want the index to be more than a number, this section explains what each factor usually means in real life — and what tends to move it the fastest.

Stress isn’t only about having a lot to do — it’s the felt pressure that your demands exceed your capacity. A “high stress” score often shows up as irritability, racing thoughts, tension in the body, or constant urgency. The fastest lever is usually not “work harder,” but “reduce one demand” (say no, delegate, postpone) or “increase one support” (sleep, a helpful conversation, a plan).

Sleep is emotional regulation’s secret MVP. When sleep is short or fragmented, your brain’s threat system is louder and your patience is thinner. If your sleep answer is low, you don’t need a perfect routine — you need consistency. A fixed wake time and a short wind-down ritual usually beats an ambitious plan you won’t follow.

Mood stability is not “always happy.” It’s the ability to return to baseline after a trigger. Low stability often looks like snapping, spiraling, or feeling emotionally hijacked. What helps most is predictable structure (meals, movement, sleep) plus one regulation tool you practice even on good days (breathing, journaling, mindfulness, a quick walk).

Connection is both quantity and quality. You can have many interactions and still feel alone if none are safe or honest. When connection is low, the fastest move is usually one real touchpoint: a message that says “Can we talk?”, a walk with someone, or joining a recurring group where you’ll see the same people.

Energy is the downstream result of sleep, stress, movement, nutrition, and meaning. Low energy doesn’t always mean laziness — it can be burnout, depression, chronic stress, or simply recovery debt. If your energy is low, try a “minimum viable routine”: consistent wake time, hydration, and 10 minutes of light movement.

Anxiety is your mind attempting to predict and prevent danger. Sometimes it’s helpful (planning); often it’s noisy (rumination). If this is your lowest factor, treat it like a skill: notice the worry, name it, then take one tiny action. Professional support can be extremely effective when anxiety is persistent or impairing.

Self-kindness is not indulgence — it’s emotional first-aid. A harsh inner voice increases threat and reduces learning. Try this: replace “I’m failing” with “This is hard, and I’m doing my best right now.” It sounds simple, but it changes how your nervous system responds.

Purpose is the feeling that your actions matter. It doesn’t require a grand life mission. Often, purpose increases when you choose one small meaningful goal and do a 10–15 minute step toward it. When purpose is low, everything feels heavier — even small tasks.

Coping tools are your repeatable resets. A strong toolbox is not “many tools,” it’s “a few tools you actually use.” The best ones are easy, available, and don’t require motivation: a short walk, a shower, a song, a grounding exercise, or a trusted conversation.

A simple one-week plan to raise your score

If your index is low (or you just want it higher), use this lightweight plan. It’s built around the idea that emotional health improves when you stack small wins and reduce friction. You don’t need a complete life overhaul — you need repeatable actions.

• Day 1: Choose your “one lever” (sleep, stress, anxiety, or connection). Write one action you can do in 10 minutes.
• Day 2: Reduce one demand (cancel, postpone, delegate, or shorten something).
• Day 3: Add one recovery block (walk, stretch, early bedtime, or a relaxing activity).
• Day 4: One meaningful connection (message, call, or time with someone safe).
• Day 5: One purpose step (15 minutes toward something that matters to you).
• Day 6: Practice one coping tool twice (even if you feel okay).
• Day 7: Re-take the index and compare. Celebrate any improvement, even +3 points.

Why this works: the plan targets the highest-weight “multipliers” (sleep, stress, anxiety) while adding stabilizers (connection, coping). If you do only two things this week, make it sleep consistency and one supportive conversation.